Hot water saving system

ABSTRACT

The saving of water in a shower start up is accomplished by a secondary water tank that delivers hot water while water in the pipes is diverted, mixed or separately heated.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent contains material that issubject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection tothe reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patentdisclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent filesor records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to shower systems. In particular, itrelates to delivering hot water immediately so as not to waste waterrunning the shower waiting for the water to get hot.

Description of Related Art

Most families in the United States, and in other countries, utilizeshowers to clean on a regular basis. Showers tend to be more costefficient than tub baths, and it takes much less time to take a showerthan it does to wait for the tub to fill and take a bath. From an energyperspective, since a shower uses less water, there is less energy toheat the water and less water utilized.

Even with showers, there is still a large amount of water wastedinitially in turning on the shower, then waiting for the hot water tocome from the water heater and clear the water line of cold water.Typically, the shower is turned on and people walk away from the shower,leaving the shower running longer than needed. It turns out that, bysome estimates, over 150 billion gallons of water are wasted like thisyearly. Clearly, that much water in a world that is increasingly watershort is of value and water saved in taking showers is important. Those150 billion gallons would be well served to provide even more potablewater to parts of the country, or even the world, in areas withoutenough fresh potable water. Tankless heaters have been utilized toprovide hot water faster, but it does still take time to warm up and thetankless heaters are not very cost effective to run. Accordingly, itwould be of great value to conserve the water lost while people run coldwater out of the showerhead.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems with shower wasted water are solved by the presentinvention by taking the unheated water that is in the line outside ofthe water heater and using a secondary water tank to heat the cold waterand deliver hot water immediately to the showerhead when it is turnedon.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention relates to ashower system having a showerhead, and water heated in a primary waterheater tank, the system designed for conservation of water by deliveringhot water comprising:

a) a secondary hot water heater tank system positioned near theshowerhead, designed to produce enough hot water to initially deliverhot water to the showerhead when the shower is turned on; and

b) a system for delivering unheated water that is in-between theshowerhead and the primary water heater to either be heated by thesecondary hot water heater tank system or mixed with the hot water fromthe secondary hot water heater tank system.

Accordingly, in another embodiment, the present invention relates to ashower system having a showerhead and water heated in a primary waterheater tank, the system designed for conservation of water by deliveringhot water comprising:

a) a secondary unheated water tank positioned near the showerheaddesigned to mix unheated water that is in between the secondary tank andthe primary water heater with hot water from the primary water heatertank until the mixture is warm enough to shower with; and

b) notifying the user that the shower water is warm enough to showerwith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a relationship diagram of the entire system of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the heated secondary hot water heater tanksystem.

FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the invention utilizing an unheatedsecondary water tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible to embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described indetail, specific embodiments, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure of such embodiments is to be considered as an example of theprinciples and not intended to limit the invention to the specificembodiments shown and described. In the description below, likereference numerals are used to describe the same, similar orcorresponding parts in the several views of the drawings. This detaileddescription defines the meaning of the terms used herein andspecifically describes embodiments in order for those skilled in the artto practice the invention.

DEFINITIONS

The terms “about” and “essentially” mean ±10 percent.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or as morethan one. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or asmore than two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as atleast a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as usedherein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term“coupled”, as used herein, is defined as connected, although notnecessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.

The term “comprising” is not intended to limit inventions to onlyclaiming the present invention with such comprising language. Anyinvention using the term comprising could be separated into one or moreclaims using “consisting” or “consisting of” claim language and is sointended.

References throughout this document to “one embodiment”, “certainembodiments”, and “an embodiment” or similar terms means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of thepresent invention. Thus, the appearances of such phrases in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments without limitation.

The term “or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive ormeaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” means any ofthe following: “A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C”. Anexception to this definition will occur only when a combination ofelements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutuallyexclusive.

The drawings featured in the figures are for the purpose of illustratingcertain convenient embodiments of the present invention, and are not tobe considered as limitations thereto. The term “means” preceding apresent participle of an operation indicates a desired function forwhich there is one or more embodiments, i.e., one or more methods,devices, or apparatuses for achieving the desired function and that oneskilled in the art could select from these or their equivalent in viewof the disclosure herein and use of the term “means” is not intended tobe limiting.

As used herein, the term “shower system” refers to a group of deviceswhich together provide shower water in a shower enclosure. It includes awater heater heated by a heater (powered by gas or electric or thelike), typically large enough that there's enough heated water to take ashower or two, or the like. Water is received from a well or a municipaltype water delivery. The water heater tank is connected by water pipingto the on/off control of a showerhead in a shower enclosure. When thecontrol is turned on, water then flows to the showerhead. In betweenshowers, water in the piping cools down to ambient temperature and,thus, is cold relative to water that is coming from the water heater.That difference can be 50 degrees F. or more. Typically, a user will letthe shower “warm up” which means the showerhead is run until the ambienttemperature water is cleared from the piping and replaced with heatedwater from the water heater tank.

As used herein, the term “showerhead” refers to the typical spraydelivery system in a shower enclosure for delivering water to the personshowering.

As used herein, the term “primary water heater tank system” refers tothe water heater for heating the large quantity of water for taking theshower.

As used herein, the term “conservation of water” refers to being able tosave the user from running a shower until warm water comes from theshowerhead, thus avoiding wasting the gallon or two of water containedin the piping system.

As used herein, the term “secondary hot water heater tank system” refersto a tank and water heater big enough to hold the same amount or more ofwater that is in the piping of the system so it can be delivered to theshowerhead. Positioned at the showerhead and turned on when the water isturned on, it delivers its bolus of water that has been heated whileeither mixing the cold water with it or delivering the cold water to thesecondary tank to make sure no cold water is delivered to the showerheadand water in the secondary tank is replaced. The system is powered byelectricity (AC or DC) or any system desired to heat water and turn onwhen the shower is turned on.

As used herein, the term “secondary unheated water tank” refers to atank placed near the showerhead, large enough to hold the cold water inthe piping and hot water from the primary tank and to mix them till thewater is warm enough to shower with. The tank will have a control to setthe temperature or read the temperature and a control to release waterfrom the tank when it's warm enough to shower with, in addition to aregular turn on valve. An audible alarm could be used in conjunctionwith the temperature gauge to notify the user when the water is readyand allow the water to flow to the showerhead. Once the shower iscomplete, the water in the secondary tank can drain back to the primarywater tank for reheating. The size of the secondary tank is within theskill of the art, but, in general, 1-3 minute's worth of shower water(time it runs) would be one embodiment.

As used herein, the term “near the showerhead” refers to placement ofthe secondary hot water heater tank system right by the showerhead (on,or in-line, or the like, in the wall, by the showerhead, etc.), designedso that no cold water is delivered to the showerhead for use. In oneembodiment, the wall can have an associated front panel to enclose thecompartment and the compartment can be waterproofed in case of leaksfrom the secondary water tank.

As used herein, the term “produce enough hot water” refers to thesecondary heater having enough water to deliver instant hot water to theshowerhead until the heated water from the primary heater reaches theshowerhead. Appropriate diverters are used to mix the heated andunheated water and/or deliver water to refill or replace water in thesecondary tank.

As used herein, the term “system for delivering unheated water to beheated” refers to a system for heating ambient water in the pipingbefore it's delivered to the showerhead. That can be accomplished byeither mixing the ambient temperature water with the heated water fromthe secondary heater, or by delivering it to the secondary tank toreplace water delivered from the secondary tank to the showerhead.

In use of the system, the following happens: the user taking a showergoes to the shower stall with the device installed near the showerhead.Instead of turning on the shower and walking away till it gets warm,turning on the shower causes water from the pipes and primary tank to bemixed or heated until warm enough to be ready for delivery to theshower. Typically, as noted above, a shower consists of a gallon ormore. This water can be utilized locally or the extra water madeavailable for use elsewhere anywhere in the world.

DRAWINGS

Now referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the entire system 1 of theinvention. In this view of the system 1, water from a user's watersystem is delivered from water source 2 via piping, ending up in user'swater heater 3 where it is kept heated to a desired temperature. Thewater heater 3 is connected to showerhead 5 in shower stall 5 a viapiping 6. Any water in piping 6 cools off over time and, in turning onthe shower via on/off lever 7, first delivers water in the pipe 6 beforedelivering any water in the water heater. Shown is water 8 beingdelivered first from pipe 6. With the system of the present invention,water 8 is shower temperature and without the system of the presentinvention, it is the ambient temperature of the pipe 6 (which can bevery cold when some of the piping is under the house where it is exposedto outside ambient temperatures). Secondary hot water heater tank system10 is shown attached right behind showerhead 5 and connected to piping 6for heating of the water in the secondary tank water in and water inpiping 6.

FIG. 2 is a side view with an inside view of the secondary hot waterheater tank system 10. System 10 powered by electric (AC or DC) powersource 29 consists of secondary water tank 20 having heated water 21heated by heater 22 for immediate delivery to the showerhead 5 ofdelivered and heated shower water 8 a. The shower on/off lever 7 turnson the system and delivers water 21 from the tank 20. Piping 6 insidethe secondary tank system 10 delivers water both to the secondary tank20 and to the showerhead 5 and is diverted using levers and pressure orelectric or the like type means know in the art in view of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment,primary hot water tank 30 delivers water 31 via piping 32 to secondaryunheated water tank 34. Cold water in piping 32 is pushed to secondarytank 34 first and mixed with heated water 31 which follows until watertemperature gauge 35 senses the set temperature and delivers mixedheated water to the showerhead. An optional mixer may be in thesecondary tank to speed in mixing. Water in the secondary tank 34 isreturned or drains back to the heater via piping 37 for reheating andrepeating of the process for the next shower after a shower is taken.Secondary tank 34 is positioned near the showerhead 36 in the wall 38and protected in waterproof compartment 39 and behind door 40, watersystem is turned on by the on/off switch 41.

Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains maymake modifications resulting in other embodiments employing principlesof the present invention without departing from its spirit orcharacteristics, particularly upon considering the foregoing teachings.Accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in allrespects only as illustrative, and not restrictive, and the scope of thepresent invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims ratherthan by the foregoing description or drawings. Consequently, while thepresent invention has been described with reference to particularembodiments, modifications of structure, sequence, materials and thelike apparent to those skilled in the art still fall within the scope ofthe invention as claimed by the applicant.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shower system having a showerhead and waterheated by water in a primary water heater tank, the system configuredfor conservation of water by delivering hot water comprising: a) asecondary hot water heater tank system positioned near the showerheaddesigned to produce enough hot water to initially deliver hot water tothe showerhead when the shower is turned on; and b) the systemconfigured between the primary and secondary water heater tanks suchthat when the system is turned on, hot water is delivered instantly andcontinuously to the showerhead.
 2. The shower system according to claim1 wherein any unheated water is mixed with heated water from thesecondary tank to deliver hot water to the showerhead.
 3. The showersystem according to claim 1 wherein unheated water is delivered to thesecondary hot water heater tank system for heating by the secondary hotwater tank system.
 4. A shower system having a showerhead and waterheated in a primary water heater tank, the system designed forconservation of water by delivering hot water comprising: a) a secondaryunheated water tank positioned near the showerhead designed to mixunheated water that is in between the secondary tank and the primarywater heater with hot water from the primary water heater tank until themixture is warm enough to shower with; and b) notifying the user thatthe shower water is warm enough to shower with.
 5. The system accordingto claim 4 wherein the notification is by either temperature gauge or analarm sound.
 6. The system according to claim 4 wherein the secondarytank is in a waterproof compartment in the wall near the showerhead. 7.The system according to claim 6 wherein the compartment has an accessdoor.